The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-12-07

have in early life sacrificed swine on the
altar of the bodily temple. Remember, y,
| young man, that while i'll after Life and after
years of dissipation you may perhaps have
change the liver Trembling and stag
gering along these streets to-day are
men, all bent and decayed and pre-
| maturely old for the reason that they are
paying for liens they pat upon their physical
estate before they were 3d. BY early dissipa-
ton they Put on their body first mortgage,
and second mortgage, and third mort
now being forecloSed, and all that remains cf
their earthly estate the undertaken will
| soon put out OF sight. Many years ago,
in fulfilmept of my text, dart struck
through their liver, and it is there yet God
forgives, but outraged physical law never,
never, never. That has Sinai, but no Cal
vary. Solomon in my text knew what he
been a profligate, and he rises up on his
throne of worldly splendor to shrek out a
warning to all the centuries David, bad in
early life, but good in later life, cries out
| with an agony Of earnestness: "Remelnber
not the sins of my youth"
Stephen A. Douglas gave the name OF
squatter sovereignty to those who went out
West and took possession Of lands and held
them by right Of preoccupation. Let q
flock of sins settle ON your heart before you
get to 25 years of age, and they will in all
probability keep possession of it by an in.
formal squatter sovereignty II prom
1se to pay at the bank $500 six months
from date" says the promissory note. Il
promise to pay my life thirty years from
date at the bank Of the grave" says every
infraction of the laws Of your physical
being.
What, Will a mans body never COM
pletely recover from an early dissipation in
this world2 Never. How about the world
to come? Perhaps God will fix it up in the
resurrection body so that it will not have to
go limping through all eternity, but get the
liver thoroughly damaged and it will stay
damaged. Physicians call it cancer of the
liver, or hardening of the liver, or cirrhosls
of the liver, or Inflammation Of the liver, or
fatty degeneration of the liver, but Solomon
puts a Il these pangs into one figure and says:
It'll the dart strike through his liver"
That young man smoking cigarettes and
smoking cigars has no idea that he is getting
for himself smoked liver That young man
has no idea that he has by early dissipation
SO depleted his energies that he will go into
the battle only half armed. Napoleon lost
! Waterloo days before it was fought. Had he
attacked the English army before it was re-
enforced. and taken it division by division,
he might have won the day, but he waited
until he had only 100, 200 men against 2Oo, 0OO;
And here is q young man who, If he put all
his foroes against the regiment Of youthful
temptations in the strength of God ne might
drive them back, but he is allowing them to
be reinforced by the whole army Of mid ife
temptations, and when all these combined
forces are masSed against him and no Grouchy
comes to help him, and Bluncher has come to
help his foes, what but immortal defeat can
await him?
Some years ago a scientific lecturer went
H. avh,
canvas different parts of the human body
when healthy and different parts when dis
eased. And what the world wants now is
some eloquent scientist to 60 through the
country showing to our young people on
blazing canvas the drunkard's liver, the
idler's liver, the libertine's liver, the gam
blers liver. Perhaps the spectacle might
stop some young man before ne comes 70 me
same catastrophe, and the dart strike through
his own liver.
My hearer, this is the first sermon you have
heard on the gospel of health, aud it may be
the last you will ever hear on that subject; and
charge you, in the name Of God and Christ,
ter care of your health. When some of you
die, if your friends put on your tombstone
truthful epitaph, it will read: Here lies the
victim Of late supLers," or it will be: "Be-
hold what chicken salad at midnight will do
for q man." or it will be: "Ten cigars
day closed my earthly. existence" or it
will be; '!tSat down in cold draughtt
and this is the result" or it will
be-: II died OF thin shoes last winter" or it
will be: "Went out without an overcoat and
took this last chilli" or it will be: "Thought
could do at 70 what l did at 20. and l am
here;" or it will be: "Here is tho conse-
quence Of sitting ahalf day with wet feet
Or it viii be-: This is where I have stacked
my harvest Of wild oats" or, instead of
c&1 ,,ffa will fnr
eptaph on the tombstone two figures, name
ly, dart and q liver.
There is kind of sickness that IS beautiful
when it comes from overwork for Cod or
ones country, or ones own family. l have
seen wounds that were glorious. After the
battle of Antietam, in the hospital soldier
in reply to my question:: "Where are you
hurt@ uncovered his bosom and showed me a
cash that looked like badge of eternal no.
bilty. have seen an empty sleeve that was
more beautiful than the most muscular fore
arm. have seen green shade over the eye
stot out in battle that was more beautiful
than any two eyes that had passed without
injury. have seen an old missionary WON
ont with the malaria of African jungies who
looked to me more radiant than a ruhicund
gymnast. l have seen mother after six
weeks watching over a family Of children
down with scarlet fever with a glory round
her pale and wan face that surpassed the all
gelic. 1t oil depends on how you got your
sickness and in what battle your wounds.
My Lord and my God! if we must get sick
and worn out let it be in thy service, and in
the effort to make the world good and happy
Not in the service of sin. No. No
One OF the most pathethic scenes that
I ever witnessed, and l often see it, is
that Of men or women converted in the
fifties or sixties Or seventies wanting to be
| useful, but they so served the world and
Satan in the earlier part of their life that
| they haven physical energy left for the ser
vice Of God. They sacrificed nerves, muscles,
lungs, heart and liver on the wrong altar.
They fought on the wrong side, and now;
when their sword is oil hacked up and
their ammunition all gone, they enlist
for Emmanuel. When their high met
tied cavalry horse, which they spurred
champing bit and flaming eye and neck
clothed with thunder, is worn out, and spav-
ined, aud ring -boned, and, springhalt, he rides
up to the Captain of our salvation on
the white horse and offers his services When
such persous might have been, through the
good habits Of lifetime, crashing the battle
ak through helmeted iniquities, they arc
spending their days and nights in discussing
the best way of breaking up their indi
gestion, and quieting their jangling nerves,
and rousing their laggard appetite, and try
ing to extract the dart from their outraged
liver. Better converted late than never
Oh, yes; for they will get to Heaven. But
they will go afoot, when they might have
| wheeled up the steep hills of the sky in
| Elijah's chariot. There is an old hymn that
we used to sing in the country meeting
house when I was boy, and I remember